BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China is aiming to offer free medical treatment to 30,000 handicapped orphans.

The "Tomorrow Plan", funded by the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), a three-year project which was started in 2004, aims to give 30,000 handicapped orphans free operations.

There are approximately 66,000 orphans and abandoned babies living in welfare homes nationwide and about half of them are disabled.

"We have decided to extend aid to more handicapped children, whose families cannot afford to pay for the operation," said Dou Yupei, Vice-Minister of Civil Affairs, when visiting hospitals that will carry out operations on handicapped orphans.